


Akari no Go

by Aishuu



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: 20_aus, F/M, Love Triangles, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:40:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3416228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aishuu/pseuds/Aishuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fujisaki Akari is there when the goban is discovered. What if she had been the one to see the stains instead of Hikaru?</p>
<p>If Hikaru no Go was officially a shoujo manga, this might have been the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Princes

**Author's Note:**

> This is a series of three sketches. I wrote them for a challenge, and each fic is its own story. I'm listing the three of them as one story because there is a chronological progression and it's best to read them in order.

There were days when she mentally cursed that she’d ever followed Hikaru into his grandfather’s attic. It had been against the rules, but Hikaru had smiled at her, teasing her about her lack of courage. She didn’t want him to think less of her, so Akari had followed.

Only to find a haunted goban.

She had never seen Hikaru so scared as when she woke up in the hospital. His face, pale and drawn, lacked the animation she associated with him. He had held her hand tightly, promising that he’d be a better friend, just as long as she promised not to scare him like that.

She had been touched, wondering if he was on the verge of finally admitting he _liked her_ , liked her. There had been times she’d dreamt of what it’d be like to have him as a boyfriend. In her childish mind, she had wondered what a kiss would be like.

When she’d returned home that night, she’d been bubbling with feelings of hope and possibility. Going up to her room, she’d sighed dreamily as she started to prepare for bed – but the ghost of Sai had reappeared before her, proving that he hadn’t been a hallucination.

Meeting Sai had shaken her foundations. She hadn’t really believed in ghosts, but when confronted with the reality of a 1,000 year old Go master, she’d accepted it practically. It was either that or seek therapy for insanity, and no twelve-year-old girl would do that willingly. 

She found she liked him, and his strange fascination for the board game, but it had taken a while for them to come to a relatively peaceful coexistence. He may have been a ghost, but he was still male, and there were some things a girl didn’t want to share. He kept his eyes carefully closed when she got dressed, and in turn she learned to play Go.

She hadn’t anticipated finding the game interesting, but it was. There was a complexity to the patterns and the board always looked so pretty after a game had been completed. She’d bought a cheap, portable goban out of her allowance, and they would play for hours late into the evening. Sai would have her recreate games he had played in the past, using names of people who history had never recorded. To him, they were old friends. To her, they were stories.

Eventually he’d become restless, and when he wasn’t content, he tended toward nagging. Wasn’t there someplace he could play someone? He asked, and his tone was so wistful that she hadn’t been able to deny him. She promised she would find someplace else for him to play.

It was her first year in Haze Junior High, and she was still trying to get used to the uniform. Hikaru had told her it didn’t look bad on her (at least in a backhanded compliment fashion when he said she looked better in the horrible thing than the rest of the girls in their class), but she still felt like a child trying to play at being older. Sai hadn’t been much help, not understanding how the modern female mind worked.

Dressed in her new clothes, she had ventured into a Go salon. She chose it because it looked relatively clean and was located in a well-known commercial building. Some Go salons had shady reputations, but the clientele in this one was more upscale.

The woman who saw her there had quirked an eyebrow, asking if she could help. Akari had blushed and stammered a bit before saying she was looking for someone to play. She wasn’t sure how good she was, but she’d been practicing on her own, she explained.

The woman had glanced to her side, biting her lip indecisively, before calling for someone. That someone was Touya Akira.

For one second, she’d wondered if he was a girl before she noticed he was wearing the exclusive uniform of Kaiou. His hair was worn in a long bob, brushing against his cheeks as he walked toward her. The reason she’d question his gender was the fine features of his face, too pretty to be called anything but androgynous.

The woman quickly explained the situation, and Touya-kun had agreed to play. He was already a professional player, he told her, and he’d be happy to help her learn. She blushed a bit, accepting graciously.

Touya-kun had been so patient with her as Sai guided her hands. Sai had taught her how to place the stones properly, but her hands shook as she listened hard to the coordinates. This game was way above her skill level, she could quickly tell, because Touya-kun was very, very good.

But Sai was better.

She couldn’t believe it when Touya-kun murmured his resignation. His head fell forward, and he stared at the board in shock before he cradled his face. She had never seen a boy cry, and it scared her. She had never been intentionally rude, but she had run away then, apologizing for hurting his feelings.

He found her the next day. When her classes let out, he was waiting by the school’s gate. He demanded a rematch, and she agreed.

Sai won that game, too.

It became a daily ritual. She would meet Touya-kun at his father’s salon, and they would play – or he would play with Sai. This thrilled Sai, since Touya-kun just kept getting better. Akari wasn’t sure what she thought of it, because it wasn’t really her playing. She was just the conduit for Sai.

Touya-kun wanted her to take the pro exam, but she couldn’t bring herself to. It wouldn’t be fair for the others who worked hard at learning Go; it would be cheating. She declined each time Touya-kun brought the topic up.

She wished there was someone she could speak to about the situation. Sai was happy with playing Go, and Hikaru wouldn’t understood. He was wound up in soccer and his team, and he’d always been bad at listening to her. He’d babble on and on about manga and video games and the latest music, expecting her to keep pace with him. She’d always been the follower in their friendship, and now that she had her own life, she was afraid they were growing apart. She didn’t want to lose him.

Touya-kun was polite and intense, always courteous and quietly attentive. He treated her like she deserved his respect. He was smart and always thoughtful – in short, he was everything Hikaru was not. However, he never seemed to acknowledge she was a girl, thinking of her as his rival.

And she wasn’t. She recognized it during that summer, when they played Go all day one Saturday. Touya-kun stared at the board intently after she won yet another game, before thanking her. 

But it wasn’t her who deserved his gratitude – it was Sai. For the first time, she realized she was jealous of Sai. She wanted Touya-kun to look at her like that, like she was his entire world and everything hinged on what she would do next. She wanted to be the one who made those decisions, and earn his respect for herself.

That was when she realized she had a crush on him.

It was natural enough, except she found she still had that age-old crush on Hikaru. Hikaru, who would make her laugh and tease her playfully. She felt horrible that she liked both of them since that wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. A girl was supposed to find true love with the perfect guy, and she vacillated between them. During school, she’d be convinced that Hikaru was her ideal guy, but when it came time to play Touya-kun, she’d think he was the one who deserved her love.

Sometimes she wished she could introduce Touya-kun to Hikaru. She wasn’t sure how’d they would react to each other, but she felt like it might help her make a choice. One offered her a future, while the other held her past. She wanted both of them in her life, but feared she could only have one – and it was a decision she could not make.


	2. Captures

Akari was touched that Hikaru had actually offered to learn how to play Go – until it sunk in that _she_ would be the one teaching him.

Hikaru wasn’t stupid, but he was flighty. She’d tried tutoring him in the past, and the only thing either of learned was that he probably had a case of ADHD. When he was interested in something, he was capable of a focus which surpassed even Touya’s dedication to Go, but it was rare for him to find something that entrancing. He flitted from interest to interest, with soccer, manga and video games the only constants in his life. It was impossible to keep his attention on anything else.

She’d gritted her teeth and invited him over to her house on a Sunday in November. It had been quite a while since he’d last come over – since her fifteenth birthday party in May – and she felt nervous about having him in her room. Her room was her space, and inviting him in felt amazingly intimate considering they’d been growing apart ever since she’d met Sai.

Looking around, her eyes fell critically on her bookshelf. She had hardly any manga, since she spent most of her free time playing Go with Sai or Touya. The books she did possess were mainly history or Go oriented. She was fascinated by the Heian and Meiji periods, since Sai would tell her stories about the people he’d known. Sometimes she had a hard time imagining that Sai had known all those people who were just names in history books to her. His stories were always so filled with life, and he reminded her of a gossiping schoolgirl. She was thinking of becoming a history teacher, or maybe classical literature, thanks to him. Sometimes she'd wonder if she should try to become a Go pro, like Touya, but she realized that wouldn't make her happy. She wanted an ordinary life.

There was nothing wrong with the way Sai was leading her, but sometimes she felt out of touch with the rest of her peers. There were no anime posters, no pictures of idol groups. It just didn’t look like a girl’s room. She sighed as she tried to dismiss the familiar ache.

“Is something wrong, Akari?” Sai asked. Over time, he’d become accustomed to gauging her moods. He was usually very considerate of her emotions, which she was thankful for most of the time. Then there were moments like this, when she wanted to be left alone in her moodiness.

“No, not really,” she said, feeling guilty for ever feeling resentment toward Sai. He had given her so much; there weren't many girls who always had a tried-and-true best friend. “It’s just… well, I never thought I’d end up like this.”

“Like what?” His eyes studied her with concern as he raised the fan to block her sight of his face. All she could see was his pale eyes, giving her no signal to judge how he was feeling.

She was used to being honest with him, so she told him the truth. “Sometimes I don’t feel like a girl,” she said, waving a hand around her neat room. “I spend more time playing Go than anything else, which is fine, but sometimes I feel like I’m missing something.”

“Missing something?” Sai echoed, distressed but not understanding her concern. For Sai, as long as there was Go, nothing could possibly be wrong.

“Girl things,” she said. "I don’t feel very much like a normal girl.”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you there,” Sai said softly.

"It's okay," she said. "I wouldn't change anything." She was stretching the truth, for as much as she loved Sai, she sometimes wished that she was more ordinary. Akari knew that all the wishing in the world wouldn’t change anything, so she didn’t make it an issue.

She spent most of the morning cleaning, trying to make sure the place was presentable. She hid the box of tampons she usually left on her dresser, and checked her desk for anything embarrassing. She was a neat person by nature, and her room required little cleaning, but she kept finding things to rearrange. She knew she was being ridiculous, since this was _Hikaru_ and he was supposed to be her best friend, but she couldn’t help herself. Thankfully, she heard the doorbell ring five minutes before one.

Hikaru was early. That shouldn’t have surprised her, since he had a very lax concept of time. He was prone to arriving early or late to appointments, but she’d never known him to be exactly on time. It was just one of those quirks she’d grown accustomed to. She opened her door to head down the stairs to greet him, but hesitated slightly as she heard the unmistakable sound of her mother’s voice welcoming Hikaru.

“Hikaru-kun! I haven’t seen you in a while,” her mother said, and the warmth in her voice carried to the top landing Akari had paused on. Neither of them could see her, and she waited to see how he would reply. “Goodness, have you gained a couple centimeters?”

“Five,” he replied proudly. “I’m taller than Akari now.” His voice sounded deeper than she remembered it, even though they had spoken on Friday. Although his voice was still relatively high for a man, Hikaru didn’t sound like a young boy anymore. “It’s nice to see you again, Fujisaki-san.”

Her mother laughed. “You can put your coat in the closet, and I’ll make sure I bring you some snacks. Are you staying for dinner?”

She heard the rustling of fabric as Hikaru obeyed her mother’s order. “Can’t,” Hikaru answered. “My dad’s coming home early and my mom wants to do the whole family bit.”

“That’s too bad. There’s always a place for you, so come over anytime,” her mother invited.

Akari wasn’t sure why that made her blush. She decided it would be best if she hurried to keep her mother from embarrassing her. “Hikaru?” she called as she descended the stairs. Her mother looked at her, winked, and made a quick exit. She heard Sai snicker behind her, and she ignored him with the grace of practice. 

Hikaru smiled at her with the cute grin that made all their female classmates coo. “Yo Akari,” he said, waving a hand before shoving it in a front pocket. He wore jeans and a black and yellow sweatshirt emblazoned with the logo of his favorite J League team. The blond in his hair looked especially bright, which meant he'd probably dyed it recently.

“I’ve got the goban set up in my room,” she said. She gestured for him to follow her.

She felt his presence behind her as they took the stairs. Glancing back, she noticed Sai was standing at Hikaru’s side wearing a serene expression. She never liked it when Sai looked like that, since it indicated he was thinking of something he didn’t want to tell her. 

Opening her door, she waved for him to proceed her. She had placed the goban on the floor and dragged out mats for them to sit on. She rarely bothered with them, since Sai didn’t need them, and she preferred to lean against her bed. 

She watched as Hikaru’s eyes darted around her room quickly. “Take a seat,” she invited. Akari shut the door behind her, but left it open a crack. She didn’t want her mother to worry that they were getting “up to something.”

“Where?”

“Either place is fine,” she said. She felt awkward just standing there, but she forced herself to not fidget.

Hikaru took the seat that faced the door, sitting down cross-legged. She sank into the free space quickly, sitting seiza without thinking about it. Sai had said that proper posture was important for a player since it helped put them in the right frame of mind. 

Akari stared across the board into Hikaru’s bright green eyes, feeling her breath catch. It was strange, and a part of her felt a bit treacherous. This was muddling the lines she’d taken such care to draw with her life; Go had always been separate from Hikaru, and she wondered if she was betraying Touya by teaching Hikaru to play.

“So, um, where do we start?” Hikaru asked.

“How much do you know?” she asked. “I mean, has your grandfather tried to teach you at all?” She wished she’d given more thought on how to teach him.

Hikaru snorted and rolled his eyes. “He says I’m not patient enough to learn,” he said.

“How about you start with the capturing stones game?” Sai suggested. “Or you could explain about the game’s history and the theory behind it? Or you can show him the game you and Touya-kun played yesterday…” She watched him wave his fan enthusiastically out of the corner of her eye.

She mentally asked Sai to quiet down. She had been hoping he would be in one of his more serious moods, but unfortunately it seemed he was going to be childish, dancing around and offering advice on how she should teach Hikaru. She didn’t want him to distract her.

“Well, how about I teach you how to capture stones?” she asked.

“Sounds good,” he said. He looked at the go ke uncertainly. “Does the color matter?”

“The more experienced player usually takes white since it’s harder to win with,” Akari answered. They had to switch go kes, and she almost jerked in reaction as their fingers brushed. 

She started to explain the rules of Go, making sure to point out that the point was to capture territory, not the opponent’s pieces. Sai was babbling in her ear, eager to help her teach. He liked Hikaru, although there had been times when Hikaru’s casual disregard for Go had incensed him. Still, Hikaru was always cheerful, and not even the legendary Go master could take real offense to what was an innocent boy’s carelessness.

“It sounds complicated,” Hikaru said after she completed her explanation.

“Once you learn how to play, it becomes easier,” she said. “I don’t think everyone ever learns everything about Go, but that’s part of what makes it interesting.” She smiled, and set one of the stones down next to the upper right star. “Try to capture it,” she said.

Hikaru didn’t look convinced. He dug into his stones before grabbing one of the slate pieces between his finger and thumb, setting it down on the board on the star. She heard Sai chuckle, and couldn’t keep from giggling herself.

“What?” Hikaru asked in an annoyed voice.

“You’re not holding the stones right,” Akari said, calming herself down. The last thing she wanted to do was chase him away by embarrassing him. Hikaru could be touchy.

“You’re supposed to hold them a certain way?” Hikaru sounded utterly baffled. “I didn’t think they were fragile or anything…”

Akari rolled her eyes, before pulling out a stone – properly – and setting it into place above his stone. “You use your middle and index fingers,” she said.

He tried again, growling as the stone slipped from his awkward grasp. She waited patiently as he retrieved the stone from the carpet and tried to set it down. It wobbled precariously, and she smiled. “That’s a little better,” she said in an encouraging tone, “but you need to make sure you set it down firmly so it stays in place.”

She demonstrated again, glad that her hands didn’t shake. Hikaru tried again, and the stone slid from his fingers. He growled softly in frustration as he picked it up again. Akari’s patience faded into amusement as he kept trying. It was amusing that such a talented athlete couldn’t master such a simple skill.

“Here, let me help you…” she said, capturing his hand in her own before she thought on it. Hikaru stilled at the unexpected intimacy, looking up from the board and into her face. His hands were warm, she thought inanely. “Um, well, if you squeeze the stone like this,” she moved his fingers a bit, “you’ll have better control.” She wondered if the room was getting hot.

Hikaru listened without comment until she pulled her hands away. Then he followed her instructions, placing a stone firmly in the middle of the board. He withdrew his hand after a moment, smiling at her proudly. “I did it!” he said with pure delight. The smile that lit his face made her heart ache.

“Yes, you did,” she said. “But maybe you should have tried to place it where it would have done you some good?” she suggested, trying not to giggle.

It took a second for Hikaru to figure out what she meant. In his enthusiasm to play a stone the right way, he’d forgotten that he was supposed to try to capture her stone. “Well, damn,” Hikaru said, burying his face in his hands. 

She couldn’t help it. Her giggles swelled into laughter, and the tension she’d been feeling washed away. She laughed, and in a few moments, Hikaru joined in. She forgot about worrying about what might be, indulging in the moment. Behind her, she heard Sai sigh with exasperation, which only caused her to laugh harder.

Akari didn’t know what the future would bring; if she would end up with Hikaru or Touya-kun or someone she hadn’t even met, but she knew she would always have this.


	3. Everything She Wants

It was the summer of her first year of high school that her boy problems got completely out of control. She knew that having crushes on both of her close friends wasn't anything a good girl should indulge in, but when a third guy entered her life, she started to feel like a shoujo manga heroine. It was fun to read about, she realized, but it wasn't a fun to actually experience.

Akari had long been used to the routine of visiting the Go parlors. Usually she went to Touya's salon, but some days Sai would request that they go somewhere else to play against new people. 

Touya-kun was aware of her habit, and didn't discourage it. Instead he offered her cautionary advice, warning her that certain parlors should be avoided. "Not everyone who plays Go is a gentleman," he told her. "Make sure you only enter parlors in good neighborhoods, and don't go to a new one at night."

She had been touched by his concern, assuring him that she would be careful. There had only been one time that a salon had intimidated her, and even though Sai protested, she'd left immediately. She wasn't a stupid girl.

Summer break was too short to do everything she wanted to do. She went shopping with a couple of her friends – the ones she rarely had time to hang out with due to her pursuit of Go – and took a week at the beach with her family. The boys were cute, and many flirted with her, buying her ice cream or sodas, and she enjoyed the time on the beach, sprawled out in the hot sunlight. Most of all, she enjoyed the time to be _ordinary._ She loved Sai, but resentment was beginning to fester in her heart.

Sai tolerated her activities, knowing that Akari had her own ideas of fun, but she could sense his discontent. He would sit fanning himself, even though he couldn't feel the heat, staring up at the sky. She felt a bit guilty for not indulging his obsession, but it was her life and she wanted to enjoy herself. She knew she was being selfish, but she figured she was entitled.

When they returned to the city, she thanked Sai for his patience with the only thing that mattered; a chance to play against new opponents.

The parlor they visited this time was located ten station stops from her home. She'd heard about it through a couple of Touya's regulars – a place that had good coffee and strong players. 

The woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow as Akari stepped the the doorway, a bell announcing her presence ringing in her wake. She recognized the cynically look in the woman's eyes; some schoolgirls liked to attend salons as an attempt to pick up guys. Some recent Weekly Go editions had featured the exciting "new wave" and the "hip" kids involved in it, particularly Touya, whose handsome face was a marketing marvel for the Institute. She'd been pretty amused by it, but Touya was exasperated, pointing out that he was a nerd at heart.

"Student rate, please," she said, pulling out her school I.D. and her wallet.

"Five hundred yen, coffee is extra," the woman replied, and Akari pulled five 100 yen coins to pay. The woman accepted her money, but her eyes were still distrustful.

Akari ignored it, bowing politely before turning to scan the crowd, looking for a likely prospect. She needed a good player that wouldn't be offended to lose to a girl; she'd learned early on that Go parlors had a lot of men with chauvinistic tendencies, and it was best not to upset the apple cart early on.

Sai was bouncing up and down, eager to play. "Challenge him, Akari!" Sai said, pointing his fan toward a teenager who was sitting in a corner alone, placing stones on a goban half-heartedly. 

_Him?_ she thought in surprise. He looked like someone who'd been dragged there He dressed in casual yet fashionable clothes, and his hair was stylishly wild. The red-tinted strands hung in his eyes, and she longed to push them back. He was _cute_ she thought, then blushed at her the shallowness of her thoughts.

"He's good," Sai murmured in a voice she'd learned meant he was being serious. "He should give us a good game."

She walked over to the boy, feeling the eyes of the counter woman on her, and knew that she'd been taken for a fan girl. She almost asked Sai to select someone else, but he'd already made up his mind and was stubborn.

"Um, excuse me?" she said, hoping he wouldn't think she was hitting on him.

He looked up, and she noted with surprise that he had pretty eyes. "Yes?" he said, and he looked suspicious, too.

"I... um, well, I'm looking for someone to play. Do you have time for a game?" she asked, hating the slight stutter in her voice.

"Sure," he agreed, and a smile pulled the corners of his lips up. "I'm always willing to play."

She slid into the seat across from him, opening the lid of the nearest go ke to check the stones. White; she preferred playing that, since it was slightly more challenging for Sai. She could feel the spirit's presence at her shoulder, but didn't bother glancing at him.

"What's your kyu?" he asked.

"I've never been officially ranked," Akari demurred, "but I'm very good."

"How many stones would you like?" he asked, taking a different tact.

"You mean a handicap? I don't want one, I want an even game," she replied. This was a familiar ground for her. Her games always started out with a variant of this conversation.

He gave her a dubious look. "Don't think I'm bragging or anything, but I'm a pro. You're going to need a handicap."

"A pro?" Sai practically squealed in joy. Akari ignored him, keeping her focus on the stranger.

"We'll nigiri," she said firmly.

A couple of the customers that were close enough to overhear the conversation snorted. "Trying to hook a boyfriend," she heard one mumble, and she stiffened with suppressed outrage. 

_I hate it when they think things like that!_ she thought. _If I was a boy, they'd treat me more seriously._

"Ignore them, Akari," said Sai in a flat voice. "We're here to play. We'll change their minds."

The boy was studying her, squinting thoughtfully before he nodded his agreement. Without conversation, they reached into the go ke to nigiri, which he won. They bowed politely to each other, and then the boy played his first hand.

"5-3," Sai said, and she located the coordinates without hesitation. She and Sai had been playing this way for ages.

Her irritation at the rude insinuations faded, and she lost herself in the flow of the game. She might not play very well herself, but she could see that she was serving as a conduit for someone greater. Every time Sai played, she marveled at the depth of his thought.

Her opponent was good, but not up to Akira's level, much less Sai's. He was more cautious, relying on traditional moves. Here and there Sai murmured in satisfaction as the boy rose to the challenge, but the end result was a foregone conclusion.

"I resign," he said, lowering his head. His eyes were fastened on the board, and he didn't seem to notice the crowd's sudden explosion of conversation. Instead, he studied the final result, before whistling and shaking his head. "I guess that teaches me not to be arrogant, doesn't it?" 

"You played very well," she said, shifting in her seat. She always hated the post game talks.

"But you're better," he said. "This keima..." he pointed at a spot in the board where Sai had completely overwhelmed him. "I've never seen anyone play like this. Who are you? Why aren't you a pro?"

She could feel Sai's stare penetrating her back. It was an old issue between them; Sai wanted her to take the test so he could play the best in the nation regularly, but she couldn't sacrifice her entire future for him. "I like Go, but it's not my life," she said. "It's more fun to play between friends than serious competition."

He chuckled and shook his head slightly. "It's too bad, but if that's how you like it. I hope we can play again sometime?"

"Sure!" she said, pulling out her cell phone so she could get him phone number. "Um, what's your name?" she asked, realizing they hadn't been properly introduced.

He looked at her, and the expression in his eyes broke her restraint. She started to giggle, and seconds later he broke into laughter. She liked the warm sound. "I'm Waya Yoshitaka," he said with a grin. 

She bobbed her head respectfully. "Fujisaki Akari," she introduced herself. 

"Can I treat you to lunch?"

"Are you trying to pick me up?" she asked.

"Do you want me to?" Waya retorted. His eyes glinted playfully as he offered her the chance to shoot him down without being offensive.

"Maybe." It was summer break, and a summer romance would be a wonderful thing. Guiltily she squashed thoughts of Touya and Hikaru to the back of her mind. They were just her friends.

The counter woman gave her a glare as they left, sniffing with smugness. Akari gritted her teeth, hating proving her right, but Waya was smiling at her, and she forgot her resentment. Sai looked unhappy as Waya escorted her next door to a restaurant. They selected a booth in the corner, and placed their orders.

There was no awkwardness in their conversation. He asked about how she'd learned to play, and she diverted the topic onto her teachers at school, not comfortable talking about Sai. Unlike Touya, he let it pass.

Like most young professionals, Waya wasn't attending high school. He worked full-time playing Go, but liked to attend concerts and play video games. They talked about their favorite bands – he preferred J-Rock and English music, while she was a firm devotee of J-Pop.

Waya was easy to talk to, she found. He liked Go, but he didn't tune out the real world. He liked going to the movies, and had seen most of what she liked. He suggested casually that they might want to catch a show the next day, and she agreed. They arranged to meet at noon, so they could eat lunch first.

Sai was quiet through the whole conversation, and she pretended he didn't exist. When she and Waya finally parted, she gave Sai a grateful smile. 

_Thanks for not complaining,_ she thought at him.

He didn't whine at her about how they'd been wasting time when they could have been playing Go. Instead, he merely walked beside her as they headed home. She wasn't used to his silence. Akari wondered if she'd hurt his feelings.

She waited until she was back in her room to confront him. "Sai, are you angry at me?" she asked. 

"No," he said, and he lowered his eyes. "Just worried that you might end up hurting yourself."

"Hurting myself?" she echoed. "Sai, it's just a bit of fun."

"Is it?" he asked.

Sai never spoke like that unless he had a point, and she bit her retort back. She wondered if he was jealous, but decided it wasn't likely. There was genuine concern in his eyes, and she thought back over her interactions with Waya – and came to a sickening realization. She sat down heavily on her bed, burying her face in her hands. 

"Akari?" Sai prompted.

"He reminds me of Hikaru. And Touya-kun." Was she really so indecisive that she was going to choose a consolation prize, rather than risk her heart? 

Sai merely spread the fan in front of his face, saying nothing.


End file.
